Rishi Sunak backs police over claims they were heavy-handed with royal protesters during coronation
RISHI Sunak backed Scotland Yard yesterday, praising their deliberate attempt to “disrupt and diminish” dissent during the King’s coronation.
The PM said the Met did “what they think is best” over claims over heavy-handed treatment of republican protesters.
But tough new laws to block disruptive protests may be torn up by a Labour PM.
Shadow Cabinet minister Andrew Gwynne said: “I think the next Labour government will look very carefully at this legislation.
“Row comes after 64 coronation arrests saw cops accused of being heavy handed.”
Graham Smith, chief executive of the anti-monarchy Republic campaign group who was detained on Saturday, accused Scotland Yard of having “every intention” of arresting demonstrators.
He told the BBC: “The whole thing was a deliberate attempt to disrupt and diminish our protest,” he said.
“They stopped us because the law was introduced, rushed in last week, to give them the powers to stop us on any flimsy pretext.”
The force made 64 arrests on coronation day, with 46 people bailed after being detained on suspicion of causing a public nuisance or breaching the peace.
Four charges have been brought, including over a religiously aggravated public order allegation and class A drugs possession.
Mr Sunak backed the force’s efforts during the “dazzling spectacle”, after volunteering at a lunch club during the national Big Help Out drive on the coronation bank holiday.
“The police are operationally independent of Government, they’ll make these decisions based on what they think is best,” he told broadcasters in Hertfordshire.
“Actually I’m grateful to the police and everyone who played a part in ensuring that this weekend has gone so well, so successfully and so safely, that was an extraordinary effort by so many people and I’m grateful to them for all their hard work.
Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer had defended the Met as having got the “balance right” and said arrests were necessary during the “international event on the world stage”.
Labour frontbencher Andrew Gwynne said the Act gave “disproportionate” powers to the police but the party was not committing the party to repealing it if it enters government.
He defended the right to protest and suggested revellers supporting the coronation should have drowned out the dissent.
“That would’ve been the appropriate approach, to drown out those that wanted to protest rather than maybe heavy-handed practice that some have suggested may have taken place,” he said.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has demanded “clarity” from the force’s leaders on the arrests.